UNITE Pinellas is collective of organizations united in a common mission to increase income and race equity through county-wide systems change. The collective focuses on policy solutions as a part of a continuum of many people and organizations who have a long history of working for fairness and justice.
UNITE Pinellas Collaborators
Meiko serves as the Executive Pastor at Pinellas Community Church where he has been
on staff since moving to St. Petersburg Florida in 2015. Meiko holds his ministry
Credentials with the Assemblies of God, a Bachelor’s of Science in Business from Full
Sail University, and certifications in Pastoral ministry from Global University. He is a
graduate of Leadership St. Pete class of 2019 and currently serves on the steering
committee for the Grow Smarter Initiative where he chairs the Culture & Community
Workgroup. Meiko is currently serving in his 2nd year of a four year mayoral
appointment as a commissioner for the public arts commission for the city of st.
Petersburg. Additionally, Meiko mentors leaders in St. Pete as a Planning Committee
member for Leadership St. Pete. Finally, Meiko is the CEO of the St. Petian, an
organization bringing together citizen voices for culture, community and conversations.
A natural listener, Meiko decided to say yes to the opportunity to be a Race Equity
Listener because he has a heart for his city and understands the answers to so many of
our challenges lay within the citizenry. We are our own collective solutions. Meiko has a
heart the bends toward reconciliation and Biblical justice. He understands deeply that
the path toward change begins with listening to one another.
Meiko conducts his listening in two areas of our city. The first, where he resides in the
historic Kenwood Neighborhood. Meiko is a member of the Historic Kenwood
Association and holds substantial relationships with neighbors and businesses in the
area. He also listens in South St. Pete where his church is located. As a Pastor, it’s a
natural space to hear what is affecting people.
Meiko’s race journey began in early 2008 when he moved to the city of Atlanta, GA and
was now living in a place where he saw more folks that looked like him than he ever did.
Growing up in Winter Park Fl, he was not afforded this view. Through some challenging
unlearning and pivotal experiences, Meiko through the years, began to further deepen
his understanding of his race and ethnicity and gained courage to live fully in his skin.
He realized that his experiences as a child and young adult were not uncommon and he
was determine to do whatever it takes to change the narrative for not only his family,
but for those who have, are, and will go through experiences he did. The first step, to
listen.
As a Race Equity Listener, Meiko works with Unite Pinellas to seek out the lived experiences of residents of Pinellas County in an effort to mobilize community based assets that inform policy changes. Additionally, Meiko works on projects centered around housing/evictions and policy aimed at eliminating food insecurity.
on staff since moving to St. Petersburg Florida in 2015. Meiko holds his ministry
Credentials with the Assemblies of God, a Bachelor’s of Science in Business from Full
Sail University, and certifications in Pastoral ministry from Global University. He is a
graduate of Leadership St. Pete class of 2019 and currently serves on the steering
committee for the Grow Smarter Initiative where he chairs the Culture & Community
Workgroup. Meiko is currently serving in his 2nd year of a four year mayoral
appointment as a commissioner for the public arts commission for the city of st.
Petersburg. Additionally, Meiko mentors leaders in St. Pete as a Planning Committee
member for Leadership St. Pete. Finally, Meiko is the CEO of the St. Petian, an
organization bringing together citizen voices for culture, community and conversations.
A natural listener, Meiko decided to say yes to the opportunity to be a Race Equity
Listener because he has a heart for his city and understands the answers to so many of
our challenges lay within the citizenry. We are our own collective solutions. Meiko has a
heart the bends toward reconciliation and Biblical justice. He understands deeply that
the path toward change begins with listening to one another.
Meiko conducts his listening in two areas of our city. The first, where he resides in the
historic Kenwood Neighborhood. Meiko is a member of the Historic Kenwood
Association and holds substantial relationships with neighbors and businesses in the
area. He also listens in South St. Pete where his church is located. As a Pastor, it’s a
natural space to hear what is affecting people.
Meiko’s race journey began in early 2008 when he moved to the city of Atlanta, GA and
was now living in a place where he saw more folks that looked like him than he ever did.
Growing up in Winter Park Fl, he was not afforded this view. Through some challenging
unlearning and pivotal experiences, Meiko through the years, began to further deepen
his understanding of his race and ethnicity and gained courage to live fully in his skin.
He realized that his experiences as a child and young adult were not uncommon and he
was determine to do whatever it takes to change the narrative for not only his family,
but for those who have, are, and will go through experiences he did. The first step, to
listen.
As a Race Equity Listener, Meiko works with Unite Pinellas to seek out the lived experiences of residents of Pinellas County in an effort to mobilize community based assets that inform policy changes. Additionally, Meiko works on projects centered around housing/evictions and policy aimed at eliminating food insecurity.
Alyssa Bedard, a St. Petersburg native serves as a community leader and public health practitioner, influencing the progression of education, disease control & prevention, maternal & child health and social justice. As a National Health Education Honorary Member of Eta Sigma Gamma, she graduated from the University of South Florida with a Masters of Public Health Degree, concentrating in Family & Community Health. In all spaces, Alyssa embodies commitment to health equity, public health practice and academia while addressing health inequities, the social and political determinants of health, infant & maternal disparities and related healthcare issues.
Currently, Alyssa is a Faculty Professor in the Health Service Administration Bachelor’s Degree Program at St. Petersburg College. In addition to her strides in Academia, Alyssa is the founder and sole practitioner of Breathing Through Life LLC., Doula and Birth Services. Intentionally addressing disparities while advocating for teen/young mothers, her passion to eliminate barriers and promote equity in all spaces. Alyssa serves as an executive leader in Young Equity Advocates (YEA), Black Health Equity Alliance (BHEA), Community Health Workers of Florida Coalition, Project Teenbirth (PTB) and Liberty Church St. Pete. With a combination of professional and lived experiences, she is a recognized speaker, most recently acknowledged as the Keynote for the Annual Educational Strategy and Student Engagement Institute.
Her networks include higher education, maternal and child health advocacy, millennials, Leadership St. Petersburg, Black Health Equity Alliance, Young Equity Advocates and Liberty Church.
Alyssa collaborates with UNITE Pinellas on the FOod Policy Council and as a Race Equity Listener.
Currently, Alyssa is a Faculty Professor in the Health Service Administration Bachelor’s Degree Program at St. Petersburg College. In addition to her strides in Academia, Alyssa is the founder and sole practitioner of Breathing Through Life LLC., Doula and Birth Services. Intentionally addressing disparities while advocating for teen/young mothers, her passion to eliminate barriers and promote equity in all spaces. Alyssa serves as an executive leader in Young Equity Advocates (YEA), Black Health Equity Alliance (BHEA), Community Health Workers of Florida Coalition, Project Teenbirth (PTB) and Liberty Church St. Pete. With a combination of professional and lived experiences, she is a recognized speaker, most recently acknowledged as the Keynote for the Annual Educational Strategy and Student Engagement Institute.
Her networks include higher education, maternal and child health advocacy, millennials, Leadership St. Petersburg, Black Health Equity Alliance, Young Equity Advocates and Liberty Church.
Alyssa collaborates with UNITE Pinellas on the FOod Policy Council and as a Race Equity Listener.
Jeff Johnson is the state director of AARP Florida. As state director, Jeff leads a team of staff and volunteers across the state to fight for and equip 50+ Floridians to choose how they live as they age by advocating at the local, state and federal level on issues of health and financial security and making communities more livable for all ages. A lifelong Floridian originally from Jacksonville, Jeff has worked at AARP since 2000 and served as state director since 2010. He and his family live in St. Petersburg.
Jeff works with UNITE collaborators to facilitate frameworks for grassroots organizers, and is part of a working group on equity and aging issues.
Susana Darwin is a lifelong political activist and filmmaker who has also spent decades in publishing and the law. In 2018, she moved with her wife from Chicago to St. Petersburg, an exceptionally film-supportive city and one rich with opportunities for political work.
A stop at the Equal Justice Initiative’s National Memorial for Peace and Justice in Montgomery sparked Susana’s initial entry into local politics. She has been co-chair of the Publicity Committee of the Community Remembrance Project Coalition (Pinellas Remembers) since the group came together in 2019.
Susana has also been active with Indivisible Florida-13 and GOTV Pinellas since moving to Florida. She currently has a short film, Longer, on the film festival circuit, and is also also working on several short and feature-length screenplays, in addition to other forms of visual art.
Susana met Tim Dutton of UNITE Pinellas through Pinellas Remembers. She was eager to bring 25 years of experience evaluating judicial candidates in Chicago to the Racial Equity Candidate Scorecard initiative. The opportunity to inform voters about candidates’ understanding of and commitment to racial equity aligns with Susana’s sense of justice
Tammy Greer is the Executive Director of Gulfcoast Legal Services. She has a master’s degree in public administration and nearly thirty years of experience in nonprofit management, including fundraising, grant writing, budgeting, compliance, and quality assurance. Her work in legal aid has created new opportunities in the Tampa Bay area through programs supporting the most vulnerable populations, including the elderly, victims of crime, persons at risk for homelessness, the LGBTQ+ community, returning citizens, and persons of color.
Tammy has worked with UNITE Pinellas to inform advocacy on policy changes around a variety of issues including voting rights for returning citizens, sealing of eviction lawsuits, eviction processes, etc. – all through a lens of racial justice and the impact of safe and affordable housing on individuals’ health.
Tim Dutton is the Director of UNITE Pinellas, a collective of organizations and individuals committed to generating policy, practice and narrative change that will increase racial equity. He led UNITE Pinellas through the development of an equity profile in concert with PolicyLink, guided a team of public interest attorneys and professors to identify state level policy changes related to fees, fines and evictions and developed an interview process aimed at assuring that wisdom of people with lived experience would co-create improved policy solutions. UNITE Pinellas also convenes nonprofit sector leaders to develop approaches that will increase diversity, equity and inclusion in the local nonprofit and philanthropic sectors.
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